Overmolded or pressed-in sleeve for hydraulic routing of solenoid

ABSTRACT

A valve having a metal insert with a fluid passage formed in the metal insert. A composite valve body is disposed at least partially around the metal insert and having at least one port in fluid communication with the fluid passage with the metal insert. A valve member is partially disposed in the metal insert and operable to control the fluid flow through the fluid passage of the metal insert and parts of the valve body.

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/988,811, filed Dec. 20, 2010 which is a National Stage ofInternational Application No. PCT/US2009/039287, filed Apr. 2, 2009.This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 61/125,703, filed Apr. 28, 2008. The disclosures of the aboveapplications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to overmolded solenoid valve bodies, andmore specially solenoid valves having metal sleeves pressed in orovermolded to a composite valve body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Solenoid valves for automotive components have become common place inthe industry. The solenoid valves are used to control various hydrauliccomponents such as transmission, clutch, turbocharger, drive linecomponents, and exhaust control components. Typically, solenoid valveshave a valve body that is actuated by a solenoid portion which consistsof an electromagnetic coil having an armature that moves in response tothe application of current to the electromagnetic portion. In the pastthe valve bodies have been made out of machined metal components. Theflow path through the valve body has been defined by forming holes andbores in the metal valve body. The trend in solenoid designs has been toincrease their ability through the use of more complex flow pathsthrough the valve body itself. Thus, there is an increased need for morecomprehensive fluid passages in the valve body in order to make thesolenoid valve more versatile and keep up with the performance demandsthat exist in the industry. Additionally, suppliers have an interest inbeing able to manufacture solenoid valves in a more cost effectivemanner to be able to offer the marketplace a lower cost, higherperformance product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a valve having a metal insert with afluid passage formed in the metal insert. A composite valve body isdisposed at least partially around the metal insert and having at leastone port in fluid communication with the fluid passage of the metalinsert. A valve member is partially disposed in the metal insert andoperable to control the fluid flow through the fluid passage of themetal insert and parts of the valve body.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended forpurposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional plan view of a prior art valve portion;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view in accordance with a presentembodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merelyexemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention,its application, or uses.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a prior art solenoid valve assembly 10 isshown. The valve assembly 10 has a metal valve body 12 having machinedports 14 which are typically formed in the metal valve body 12 by boringor milling through the metal valve body 12. The machined ports 14 extendinto a machined bore 15 which is also formed in the metal valve body 12.A valve member 16 is slideably positioned within the machined bore 15 ofthe metal valve body 12. The valve member 16 has a fluid passage 18 thatis used to communicate fluid between the machined ports.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a composite pressure controlsolenoid valve assembly 100 in accordance with the present embodiment ofthe invention. The valve assembly 100 has a valve portion 102 and asolenoid actuator portion 104. The solenoid actuator portion 104 andvalve portion 102 can be separate or integrated and be made from thesame material. The valve portion 102 has a composite valve body 110 thatis made of a composite material which is molded from composite resin.The composite material that makes up the composite body 110 would be anytype of suitable plastic material. More specifically, thermal plasticssuch as polyamids, including nylon, polyphthalamides, and liquid crystalpolymers. However, the principle materials used are not necessarilylimited to these particular materials, other plastic materials may bemore suitable for a particular application.

The composite valve body 110 has one or more ports molded therein. Inthis particular embodiment, the one or more ports include a supply port114, control port 116, and exhaust port 118. Each of the ports 114, 116,118 extend to a bore of the composite valve body 110. The bore of thevalve body 113 is formed through the molding process or processesdescribed below. Additionally, the greater of lesser numbers of portscan be implemented based on the design of a particular application.

Within the bore 113 of the composite valve body 110 is a metal insert106. A fluid passage 108 with several apertures 109 that extend from theexterior of the metal insert 106 to the fluid passage 108 are formed inthe metal insert 106. The fluid passage 108 is formed by machining themetal insert 106. The metal insert 106 is positioned in the bore 113 ofthe composite valve body 110. The metal insert 106 can be placed withinthe bore 113 of the composite valve body 110 by overmolding thecomposite valve body 110 around the metal insert 106. Another processinvolves press fitting the metal insert 106 into the already formedvalve body 110.

The apertures 109 of the metal insert 106 are configured to align withone or more of the ports 114, 116, 118 of the composite valve body 110.This allows for fluid communication from outside of the composite valvebody 110 to flow into the fluid passage 108 of the metal insert 106.

A spool valve member 112 is slideably positioned within the metal insert106 and has a fluid passage 119 formed therein. The fluid passage 119 inthis particular embodiment communicates with the control port 116 andthe supply port 114 and exhaust port 118 through metering orifices 126.The metal insert 106 has upper and lower bearings 140, 142 aligning thespool valve 112. The metal insert 106 has metering lands 128 formed inthe fluid passage 108 of the metal insert 106. The metering lands 128align with the metering orifices 126 and function to control the flow offluid through the metering orifices 126 when the valve member 112 isplaced in a position where the metering orifices 126 are aligned withthe metering lands 128. The metering lands 128 have metering edges 130that permit the flow of fluid through the metering orifices 126 when thevalve member 112 is moved axially within the fluid passage 108 of themetal insert 106.

The valve assembly 100 of the present embodiment significantly reducesthe production cost and manufacturing time when compared to the priorart valve of FIG. 1. The composite valve body 110 is less expensive andeasier to form than the metal valve body 12. The metal insert 106 andthe valve member 112 are the only components that have to be machined.These components are smaller and present less metal that has to bemachined. Additionally, the valve member 112 and metal inset 106 can bepreassembled and checked for quality prior to being placed in thecomposite valve body 110. This also saves time and even allows the metalinsert 106 and valve member 112 to be manufactured separately which alsopresents cost savings.

The valve assembly 100 has an actuator portion 104 which in the presentembodiment of the invention is a solenoid portion. The actuator portionhas a housing 105 that can be a separate component; however, in thisparticular embodiment of the invention the housing 105 is a compositehousing that is integral with the composite valve body 100 of the valveportion 102. Within the actuator portion 104 is a coil 120 that whenenergized causes an armature 122 to move axially. A pin 123 is connectedto the armature 122 and contacts the valve member 112 of the valveportion 102 in order to cause the valve member 112 to move axiallywithin the metal insert 106. A spring 121 is operably connected to thepin 123 for biasing the armature in one direction when the coil 120 isnot energized.

The present invention provides a composite valve body 110 that is formedby molding composite resins. This lowers the over all cost of productionand also provides the advantage of being able to form more complex fluidpassages within the composite valve body 110 while eliminating themachining step that would normally be required for a metal valve body 12as shown in FIG. 1. Furthermore, there are fluid passages that can bemolded into the composite valve body 110 that could not be easily formedin a traditional metal valve body 12.

The present invention also includes a method of making a compositesolenoid valve or valve assembly 100 as shown in FIG. 2. The method ofmaking the valve assembly 100 includes providing the metal insert 106,composite valve body 110, valve member 112, fluid passage 119 of valvemember 112, and at least one port 114, 116, 118 in the composite valvebody 110 and apertures 109 in the metal insert 106. The step of formingthe fluid passage 119 in the metal insert 106 is carried out bymachining or drilling the fluid passage from metal stock.

The valve member 112 also has fluid passages 119 and apertures 126machined or formed by machining and boring the passages out of the valvemember 112. While the present invention describes a valve member 112that is formed of metal it is within the scope of this invention to havethe valve member 112 also formed from composite material whereby thefluid passages and apertures are formed through a molding process. Thevalve member 112 has been placed in the fluid passage 108 of the metalinsert 106.

The valve member 112 is then placed in a slidable arrangement within thefluid passage 108 of the metal insert 106. The metal insert 106 is thenconnected to the composite valve body 110. This process can be carriedout in several different ways. One process is to press fit the metalinsert 106 into an already formed composite valve body 110. Another stepinvolves placing the metal insert 106 into a mold and then overmoldingthe composite valve body 110 around the metal insert 106. The supplyport 114, control port 116, and exhaust port 118 are formed in thecomposite valve body 110 either through the overmolding process or bydrilling the ports through the formed composite valve body 110. Themetal insert 106 may have a stepped or mold feature on its exteriorsurface such that in order to more tightly secure the metal insert 106to the valve body 110. Such features will eliminate any possible leakingthat can occur between the plastic and the metal and also to insureretention of the metal insert.

If the actuator portion 104 is separate from the valve portion 102 thenthe actuator is connected to the composite valve body 110.Alternatively, the casing 105 of the actuator portion 104 can beovermolded in the same or separate step as the metal insert 106 isovermolded with the composite valve body 110. Thus, the casing 105 ofthe actuator portion 104 can be integral with the composite valve body110.

The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and,thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention areintended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations arenot to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A solenoid pressure control valve comprising: ametal insert having a fluid passage formed in said metal insert, whereinsaid metal insert contains one or more apertures that extend from anexterior of said metal insert to said fluid passage formed in said metalinsert; a composite valve body overmolded at least partially around saidmetal insert, wherein said composite valve body has a bore where saidmetal insert is positioned and said composite valve body has one or moreports in fluid communication with said one or more apertures and saidfluid passage of said metal insert; and a spool valve member at leastpartially disposed in said metal insert, wherein said spool valve memberis operable to control fluid flow through said fluid passage, whereinsaid spool valve member has a bore extending at least partly throughsaid spool valve member for providing flow between said fluid passageand said at least one port and said spool valve member.
 2. The solenoidpressure control valve of claim 1, further comprising a solenoid portionhaving a coil with an armature moveable within said solenoid portion inresponse to the energization of said coil, wherein said armature isoperably connected to said spool valve member, and wherein energizationof said coil causes said armature to act on said spool valve member tocontrol fluid flow through said fluid passage.
 3. The solenoid pressurecontrol valve of claim 2, further comprising a spring operably connectedto said armature for biasing said armature in one direction when saidcoil is not energized.
 4. The solenoid pressure control valve of claim1, wherein said spool valve member is slideable within said fluidpassage.
 5. The solenoid pressure control valve of claim 1, wherein saidcomposite valve body is composed of a thermoplastics material.
 6. Asolenoid pressure control valve comprising: a metal insert having afluid passage formed in said metal insert; a composite valve bodydisposed at least partially around said metal insert, wherein saidcomposite valve body has a bore where said metal insert is positioned; asupply port disposed through said composite valve body and said metalinsert, wherein said supply port is connected to said fluid passage; acontrol port disposed through said composite valve body and said metalinsert, said control port being connected to said fluid passage; anexhaust port disposed through said composite valve body and said metalinsert, said exhaust port being connected to said fluid passage; a spoolvalve member at least partially disposed in said metal insert forcontrolling the flow of fluid medium between said supply port and saidcontrol port, wherein said spool valve member controls the flow of fluidmedium between said control port and either said supply port or saidexhaust port by moving with respect to said metal insert; a solenoidportion having a coil with an armature moveable within said solenoidportion in response to energization of said coil, wherein said armatureis operably configured to contact said spool valve member and causessaid spool valve member to slide within said fluid passage; and a springoperably connected to said armature for biasing said armature in onedirection when said coil is not energized.
 7. The solenoid pressurecontrol valve of claim 6, wherein said composite valve body is composedof a thermoplastics material.
 8. A method of making a composite solenoidpressure control valve including a metal insert, composite valve body,spool valve member, fluid passage and at least one port, said methodcomprising the steps of: forming the fluid passage in said metal insert;placing said spool valve member in said fluid passage; overmolding saidcomposite valve body to said metal insert such that said composite valvebody at least partially surrounds said metal insert; and forming said atleast one port in said composite valve body, wherein said at least oneport is operably connected to said fluid passage.
 9. The method of claim8, further comprising the steps of: providing an actuator; and operablyconnecting said actuator to said spool valve member, wherein saidactuator controls the movements of said spool valve member.
 10. Themethod of claim 9, wherein said actuator has a housing integrated withsaid composite valve body.
 11. The solenoid pressure control valve ofclaim 6, further comprising a metering land formed in said fluid passagefor controlling the flow of fluid medium through said fluid passage. 12.The solenoid pressure control valve of claim 6, further comprising ametering orifice for fluidly communicating said fluid passage with atleast one of said control port, said supply port, and said exhaust port.13. The solenoid pressure control valve of claim 12, further comprisinga metering land, with said metering land engageable with said meteringorifice for controlling the flow of fluid medium through said meteringorifice.
 14. The solenoid pressure control valve of claim 13, whereinsaid metering land has metering edges for metering the flow of fluidmedium through said metering orifice.
 15. The solenoid pressure controlvalve of claim 12, wherein said spool valve member has a bore extendingat least partially through said spool valve member for providing theflow of fluid medium between said supply port and said control port, andwherein said metering orifice extends through said spool valve memberbetween said bore and said fluid passage.
 16. The solenoid pressurecontrol valve of claim 13, wherein said metal insert presents saidmetering land, with said metering land engageable with said meteringorifice for controlling the flow of fluid medium through said meteringorifice.
 17. The solenoid pressure control valve of claim 6, whereinsaid metal insert has upper and lower bearings.
 18. The solenoidpressure control valve of claim 6, wherein said metal insert containsone or more apertures that extend from an exterior of said metal insertto said fluid passage formed in said metal insert, with said one or moreapertures configured to align with at least one of said control port,said supply port, and said exhaust port.
 19. The solenoid pressurecontrol valve of claim 6, wherein said composite valve body isovermolded at least partially around said metal insert.